July 2014

Senior Chemistry Students'Success

Jessica, David, Boaz and Danielle report on a successful competition..

The University of Waikato organises the NZIC Analytical Chemistry competition every year and Lynfield has been participating in it for the past three years, with tremendous success.

The event challenged 96 enthusiastic Year 13 students to spend a day in the university’s laboratories and apply their chemistry skills to accurately analyse, calculate and produce answers to set tasks, in order to derive an important chemical statistic.

On being confronted with the laboratory set-up, we were overwhelmed. On it was equipment that was unfamiliar to us, and new methods were expected of us that we had rarely encountered. It was a challenging experience as we were now expected to apply our chemistry knowledge that we had learnt in class into a practical investigation in new and unfamiliar environment. This had brought a great, yet new and exciting challenge for us to take on. Through trial and error and a hard persistence, we presented our very best and were rewarded with a successful outcome.

This year, we were placed 4th overall out of the 24 teams that had participated, and came home with a cash prize. All of our hard work and determination during those five hours in being precise and accurate with our measurements, yet scrambling to beat the clock in the final minutes to complete the task, had finally paid off.

We had a great day, and enjoyed ourselves thoroughly, with a huge surprise in placing so highly in the competition. It was an exciting and nerve-racking experience to go up against all of the other teams, but we returned home proud of ourselves and the effort we had put in.

Te Wiki o Te Reo Maori

To celebrate Matariki and Maori Language week a group of 22 students from Te Kaareti o Pukewiwi (Lynfield College) visited the Blockhouse Bay Li​brary and performed 3 items: He Honore (A hymn), Whakarongo Mai ra (Te haka o te Kaareti o Pukewiwi) and He mihi (an acknowledgement waiata, thanking all of the guests (including the Librarians) who came to support them. Whaea Leauga accompanied the group.

Kitty Sun, Year 10 - Award for her Geography Essay

Kitty Sun, Year 10, has achieved a Highly Commended award in the Schools’ Geography Research Competition run by the New Zealand Geographical Society.

The topic was Understanding Factors that Build Resilience, and the judge, Peter Holland from the University of Otago’s Geography Department, had this to say about Kitty’s essay..

"Your essay impressed me as an informative reflection on the migrant experience. In it you argued that while individual resilience is vitally important for survival in a challenging environment, so too is resilience at the levels of the family and communal institutions, notably churches, social organisations, and the like. You then presented these ideas in a very fine introduction before writing about metropolitan Auckland as the setting for your study. You have provided a very fine account of the city’s economic, environmental and social conditions, and discussed their involvement with resilience at the individual, family and community levels.

The probing account of your interview is a further strength of this essay. The interviewee had experienced episodes of earthquake and outbreaks of disease in her homeland before emigrating to New Zealand, and you argued that these events made her more resilient and better able to deal with the challenges of life in a new country; her experiences in China and Auckland “taught her more about herself ... [and] allowed her to discover and understand her own individual ways of being resilient.” This is an intriguing notion -- in an aware and sensitive person, resilience fosters further resilience. "

Congratulations, Kitty!

Schools' Tough Guy & Gal Challenge

The Year 12 & 13 PE classes competed in the recent Auckland Secondary Schools’ Tough Guy & Gal Challenge at Woodhill Forest. A run through mud, swamp, streams, hills, obstacles and even electric shocks was a challenge the students took on with plenty of enthusiasm!

Dale Pitout in Year 13 proved to be the toughest guy of them all by winning the overall 6km race in an incredible time of 27 minutes. He is now the Auckland Champion for this event, well done Dale. Ms Fegan also claimed the prize of fastest Lynfield College teacher, easily defeating Mr Angus and Mr Christie who also competed. It was also great to have ex-student Tyla Nathan-Wong come along as part of the staff and help support the students.

The students were competing in this as part of their course programme and if they completed the course in a certain time, could gain NCEA level 2 or 3 credits. Despite the miserable weather adding to the occasion, all students gave the daunting course their best and “most” commented later at how much fun it had been.

This is proving to be a very popular event and one that the PE department is keen to continue in future years.

Ambassadors Visit Intermediate Schools

As enrolment activities for the 2015 school year begin, a number of current students have been visiting our contributing Intermediate schools to speak with students and distribute enrolment packs.

Yesterday they visited Waikowhai Intermediate, Glenavon School and Blockhouse Bay Intermediate, and the photo on the right shows the students ready to depart on their ambassador visits.

And below :

Left :Three ex-Waikowhai students spoke to the current Year 8's and enjoyed returning to their "old" school! They are shown looking over their notes in preparation for the visit.

Right : The Lynfield Smokefree Rockquest finalists One Tribe enjoyed the opportunity to perform at the Intermediate schools.

Geographers Study Rotorua's Tourism Industry

More than three million tourists will visit Rotorua in 2014. Their numbers include the Year 13 Geographers who studied how, where and why tourism has changed in Rotorua, in preparation for their external assessment.

During the two day trip they experienced the ‘big three’ of the area’s attractions - geothermal activity, Maori culture and adventure pursuits.

. At Whakarewarewa students learned how Maori have adapted their thermal resource as a tourist attraction. Tamaki Maori Village had students participating in haka and stick games and provided a hangi feast.

Day two included a visit to the Bathhouse Museum, where wealthy and ailing Edwardians would soak in mineral-rich water while receiving electric shocks, hoping for a cure. The final stop before heading home was The Luge – an exhilarating rush down Mt Ngongotaha – adventure activity that is typical of Rotorua’s more recent Tourism Development.

Junior Students' Art Works

The Year 9 students opting for Visual Arts have recently completed work in a unit titled "Framed by the Landscape"

The unit was based on a study of Lynfield Cove and native New Zealand birds and the students learned about creating realistic perspective through blending colour, to create the illusion of three dimensional space.

by Sarah Powell

by Liam Waddington

by Shams Ayoub

by Viviane Zheng

The Year 10 students' paintings (below) are based on the study of ceramics and in the style of artist models from the 60’s. The unit of work is titled “Back to the 60’s”. Students have generated a Still Life painting with the influences of several artist models.

Left: by Bhavina Rathod

Centre: by Elasia Glampe

Right: by Demetrios Kourti

David Wu - 2014 Finalist Eton Press-Casio Senior Maths Competition

The Organising Committee has recently completed marking the scripts of the preliminary paper of the 2014 Eton Press - Casio Senior Mathematics Competition.

As a result, David Wu of Year 13 has been selected as one of the fifteen finalists, out of approximately 1200 entries, to compete in the final examination to be held at Hutt International Boys’ School on Friday 22nd August.

As part of the competition, finalists from outside of Wellington region are provided with air travel to Wellington from their nearest airport. Students travel to Wellington on Thursday August 21st. They will be met on arrival and billeted overnight. On the day of the competition, after sitting a final 2 hour examination in the morning, students spend the rest of the day involved in organised activities. At the end of the day there is a small ceremony where the winner is announced and prizes awarded. Students then travel home on the first available flight.

Congratulations, David! We wish you well in the finals of this prestigious event and look forward to hearing of your success there.

Adult ESOL Students in Textiles Technology

As well as learning and developing their English Language skills the students in the Adult ESOL Department have been doing Textiles Technology for either one or two terms. This opportunity has allowed them to use their English in a different setting
.
They came into the Textiles class with a range of skills and were taught how to use the sewing machine, stencilling and applique. Students were then able to make products and garments of their own choice.

Throughout their time in theTechnology Faculty they have completed bags, aprons, cushions, clothing and the photos indicate they have thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Senior Earth and Space Scientists in the Field

Each year the various Science courses include assessments that require authentic observation and collection of data. A brief summary of some of these field trips follows with more detailed accounts available in the Science Faculty’s section of this website.

13Science Geology Trip to Milford and Takapuna

Milford Beach was visited to study the evidence of the Lake Pupuke eruption approximately 200,000 years ago. Students examined the igneous rocks and considered the dating methods that would be suitable for these types of rocks.

At Takapuna beach the aim was to examine the remains of a kauri forest that was growing in the area at the time of the eruption, and was incinerated by the lava flows.

Students also examined the layers of rocks in the sandstone cliffs and their connection to weathering and erosion of volcanoes.

This information was then used in the writing of a report to earn credits for the “Dating Geological Events” Standard.

12 Science Waitomo Caves Trip

This trip investigated the geological processes that have formed this special area of our country. First stop was the Glow Worm Caves, where students learned the cultural history of the area, and about the biology and life cycle of the glow worms, finishing off with a Gollum like boat ride on the river through the caves. Next, in the Education Centre, they learned about how the rocks have been worn away and eroded to form the surface and underground features.

Finally, it was down to the Ruakuri Cave, where the science behind the different geological formations inside the caves was explained.

This was all useful information for the report into the “Geological Processes of a New Zealand Locality”, and really helped to put the theory from the classroom into the real world.

13 Science Trip to the Stardome

First was the planetarium, where students were shown the scale of the Universe, shown what the sky was going to look like that night, where to find different constellations and planets, and some of the astronomical events that were coming up.

After exploring the exhibits in the foyer there was a session on how astronomers are looking for planets outside of our own solar system, using a variety of tools and what measurements they are each able to take. This information was invaluable for the assessment on “The Search for Exoplanets”.

Fashion and Design in an Industry Setting

On Friday 27 June the Year 13 Fashion and Design Class and two Year 11 students who have been recognised as gifted and talented attended a workshop with DAS Training ’SewTec Fashion Academy’.

During this workshop students got to gain confidence and experience using industrial machines where they constructed a tailored skirt. The class had a fantastic time and all left with a sense of accomplishment while experiencing what it’s like to work in one avenue of the fashion industry.

Te Reo Students Learn about Matariki

Thirty two Te Reo Maori students and two Kaiako (Whaea Leauga and Mrs Tebay), attended a show called Te Manawa at Corbans Estate on Tuesday 1st July to learn about Matariki.

The show included Maori language, Kapa Haka and korero about the hitori of Matariki. Concepts of aroha, taonga, kawa and rangatiratanga were explored in the script. The show has been fully booked and was a great visual way to learn about Matariki.

Students enjoyed the whakaaturanga and are now beginning to write ripoata for an assessment in classes.

Travelwise Celebration

Four Year 12 students and Ms Tabak attended the annual Travelwise celebration held at Eden Park last week. The event was a chance for the students to meet with people from other schools, experience a range of activities promoting road safety and sustainability and to be thanked for their hard work in promoting safe transport to and from school. Undeniably the highlight of the evening for the girls was seeing Titanium perform!

Lynfield College gained a bronze award for their efforts.

A big thank you to Auckland Transport for providing a very enjoyable evening.